This invention is directed to housing mounting systems for electrodynamic machines, for example, housing mounting systems for induction motors.
Electrodynamic machines, such as electric induction motors, often have housings for separating internal components of motors from the outside environment and for structural support of motor components and auxiliary devices which may be selectively attached to the motor.
It is becoming more common in the industry to couple sensing devices and related instrumentation to electrodynamic machines, such as induction motors, in order to integrate the motors into monitoring and control systems. Many of these known sensing devices require precise registration with respect to a fixed, selected reference plane on the motor. By way of non-limiting example, motor tachometers employ sensors which require alignment with the motor shaft centerline. The tachometer will not give proper readings unless the alignment is achieved. The tachometer sensor is often attached to an instrumentation device mount which is in turn attached to a selected motor housing. By way of further example, some motors manufactured and sold by the Motors and Drives Division of Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc., assignee of this patent application, are available with instrumentation device mounts attached directly to the motor fan housing proximal one end of the motor shaft.
In the past, either one or both of instrumentation device mounts and motor housings had to be manually aligned in order to assure that a selected instrumentation device was in proper alignment with a selected motor reference plane or axis. The manual alignment procedures would require expenditure of time and effort at the motor manufacturing facility or in the field after motor maintenance.
There is a need in the motor manufacturing industry to eliminate manual alignment procedures during motor manufacture, so as to reduce manufacturing costs. There is also a need to eliminate in-field housing realignment when the housing is removed by service technicians for field maintenance or repair.
It is an object of the present invention to create a self-aligning electrodynamic machine housing, which would eliminate the need for manual alignment during manufacture or during field servicing of the machine.